Game Notes: Cubs DFA Shawn Camp; Gregg the best RP on the market? Samardzija's not happy to lose Feldman

We're back on our previews after a hectic day of news yesterday. It's eerily quiet now, but things will likely stir up again soon...

News and Notes...

The Cubs have DFA'd reliever Shawn Camp to make room for incoming RPs Pedro Strop and Matt Guerrier.

Sox RP Jesse Crain, who was thought to be one of the most sought after commodities in a thin relief market, was placed on the DL. That led ESPN's Buster Olney to tweet "With Jesse Crain landing on the DL, an already thin crop of trade-market relievers gets even more thin. Kevin Gregg a standout in the group." Wow. Who would have thought that? Kevin Gregg...standout? It's a testament to his improvement this year and it seems more teams are beginning to think it's legit, at least in the short term.

Jeff Samardzija is understandably disappointed about the trade but I really didn't see it as a big issue (which is why I didn't write about it until the notes section here). I just see it as a guy who wants to win and doesn't want to lose good teammates. Here's what Samardzija said, "I don't think this team improves by trading Scott Feldman. He was one of our better pitchers. He's thrown a lot of innings, a solid dude, a solid guy in the clubhouse."It's a shame to see him go, and the same with (Steve) Clevenger. A great dude to have around, a great teammate who played the game hard and played the right way. It's unfortunate. Just hope the guys they get in return are comparable and bring the same attitude to the field every day that those guys brought...I definitely don't want to see all my boys traded, that's for sure. That wouldn't be the coolest thing in the world, especially when we feel we're not too far away from being a pretty darn good team. We'll see how this all turns out by July 31 and then go from there."

In case you're interested, Carlos Marmol was placed on outright waivers but that was with his permission and with the sole purpose of sending him to AAA to iron things out. I don't expect him to get claimed because teams won't want to pick up his salary.

Lastly, ESPN Jerry Crasnick sent out a series of tweets on his thoughts on the Scott Feldman trade, "I talked to a couple of scouts and a front office man last night who really liked the #cubs end of the Feldman deal. Everyone thinks (Jake) Arrieta has the talent and stuff to be a "guy.'' It's just a question of getting his head on straight. Arrieta might ultimately wind up in the bullpen. But #cubs have the luxury of giving him an extended shot as a starter. Consensus is that Theo & Jed might have also helped increase (Matt) Garza's value by moving Feldman so early." Interesting stuff and it confirms much of what we've all been saying here today. It's that last sentence that drew a lot of buzz, however.

A nice piece on Javier Baez, who seems to have great perspective on his development as a ballplayer...

On his approach:

"They are working with me to slow things down and not guess at the plate. I'm ready to hit the first good fastball, but I can't chase pitches out of the strike zone."

On his defense:

"I'm working on my footwork and making better throws. I like shortstop, but I'd play anywhere the Cubs want me."

On having the spotlight on him:

I don't think about it. I have to do my job, just like every player."

Sounds to me like the kid is growing up. That's a scary thought for opposing teams.

Today's Lineup:

Valbuena 3B

Castro SS

Schierholtz RF

Soriano DH

Rizzo 1B

Navarro C

Bogusevic LF

Barney 2B

Borbon CF

John: I like this athletic outfield with Matt Garza on the mound. Garza has given up more a few more fly balls than he usually does this year and the Cubs have average speed or better at all 3 positions. I'm going to say Julio Borbon saves a run on defense and creates on one offense today.

Tom: I'm looking at Mr. Trade Value himself, Matt Garza.

Felzz: Alfonso Soriano. Boy is locked in. AL parks seem to be agreeing with him. Let's see if he keeps it rolling.

I think the biggest concern is that he stays healthy. I think teams know who Garza is by now -- a good start doesn't hurt, but a bad start won't be a reason to panic. Just stay healthy and show his usual stuff.

The Cubs will make any arrangements they need to make to get those signings done.

I heard Kap too and I thought he said there would be over 20 scouts at the game. Not that there would be 20 teams represented by scouts at the game. In other words some teams have more than one scout there. Four eyes are better than two and so on. I could be wrong. I have been before.

That was a great article about Baez, and he is saying/doing all of the right things. Hopefully he can cut down on the errors even though we've heard they're not all his fault, and strike outs while increasing his walk totals a little more. If he can increase his walk percentage to roughly around 8%, would you think they might promote him to Tennessee, kind of like they did last year when he was promoted to Daytona just for a cup of coffee? I'd be totally happy seeing him stay in Daytona the rest of the season, and getting some AFL time again before moving up to Tennessee to start the season next year.

Jeff should keep his focus on pitching and not worry about Jed's business. He gave up his girlfriend to focus on pitching and it turned out good. Now he should give up trying to be GM and stay with being a good pitcher.

The Samardziga comments aren't out of line, but they do concern me. It makes me wonder if the FO is starting to lose the team. I totally understand where his frustration coming from, and it's not like he pulled an Ian Stewart. Losing sucks, and see your friends sent away sucks worse, but if I were Jed and Theo, I'd think I would like to have a behind closed doors chat with him.

First, it would give him a chance to get anything off his chest that might be weighing on him in regards to the direction of the franchise.

Second, it would give them a chance to explain to him what's going on and why it has to be done.

Third, what he has to say in the first part and his reaction to what they have to say about the second part will be telling. We know he and his agent have been approached about an extension, and we know he and his agent have rebuffed those approaches. We assume that it's entirely about money, but could it also be about winning?

Jeff Samardziga may not wish to be the next Ferguson Jenkins anymore than Greg Maddux did, and honestly, I can't blame him. He may be waiting to see if ownership and the front office follow through on their promises to deliver a perennial contender, and if ownership and the FO aren't sure they can do that before he hits free agency, they're going to have to decide if they want to shop him now or wait until his time value and comp pick value are gone.

I'll be honest. With the way he is pitching now, his age, the low mileage on his arm and time value, he may never be more valuable on the trade market than he is right now or will be this winter. A solid #2 with 2 full years of team control is a valuable commodity. The deal the Cubs might be able to get for him could be franchise altering.

Moving Samardziga has to be considered, especially if there is any doubt he might not wish to remain a Cub beyond 2015.

I think the whole thing is overblown. And I think the idea of trading your best pitcher when he's cost-controlled for prospects is a strategy that generally doesn't pay off. You'll be lucky to get a pitcher as good Samardzija. The idea here is to convert short term to long term assets. Samardzija is a mid term asset with the potential to be a long term asset.

Got to be careful not to get prospect happy when you already have a guy who turned out to be a front line starter with at least 5-6 good years ahead of him. You have to start moving forward at some point and stop tearing down and taking steps backward. The goal is to get assets like Samardzija, not trade them. The Cubs are in a unique position to be able to keep players through their prime years because of their market size. They don't have to take these kinds of gambles. You'd never see teams like the Red Sox or Yankees or event the Cardinals trade top assets in their prime.

I don't know why everyone assumes Samardzija would agree to any extension unless it was for market value. Even before the season, all indications have been that Samardzija seems comfortable pitching out his team control years and heading to FA. The Cubs control his immediate future. And if the Cubs are competitive when his FA comes and the team is willing to spend the dough, then Samardzija will stay.

I think the chances of Samardzija ever signing a "team friendly" extension have always been small and will continue to be. I don't think he has any fear of blowing out his arm. And if he is willing to take that chance, there is no reason for him to accept an extension. I think he's confident he will establish himself as a TOR guy and hit FA and cash in huge like Grienke. And there is nothing wrong with that approach.

This nails it. So we don't get a team friendly deal. Pay him market value and you go from there. It's not like we can't trade a TOR starter with an actual market-value contract (see Garza). Large Mardj is exactly the kind of pitcher we're going to need. And we have the money to do it.

When you're considered a "team leader" I think that might be out of line. I understand it might have been an off the cuff comment where he was caught of guard. That's unfortunate, but he's now has a responsibility to set an example to the younger players. He's not a kid anymore.

The sweet thing abt your free access is that you can check out the archived games, so if you wanted to, you could check out Lake and Ha's HRs tonight for Iowa (or other games). Go make a pot of coffee...

If I hadn't access all year, and had only read abt Alcantara up to this point, I would spend a couple of hours tonight/tomorrow going over his lines in box scores this year and target a few games where he really tore it up. Then go back and watch his at-bats from those games to get an (admittedly, distorted) idea of his potential.
It only gives someone an glimpse of the offensive side of his game, but it would show his plate approach, pitch recognition, and ability to drive the ball, steal bases, etc. But I think it's a good way to see what this cat is all abt.

Yes, Dan is big boned but the change in shape in 12 months is very positive... he was shall we say a little tubby at Boise last year but the changes I've seen in person at Spring Training, KC in April this year and then KC last week all point to a guy who is trying his utmost to be in the best possible shape.

Infact he has stolen 3-4 bases this year - which is hardly Adam Dunn-esque...

I'm pulling for him - I actually still see him in 3 years as the first baseman of the Cubs with Rizzo in LF. I think his batting issues at present are only the growing pains of not trying to kill the first ball that could be HR'ed.

One thing you don't see from Dan's stats is his Garza like supporting of team mates from the dug-out. A real team player and also very humble and fan friendly.

That's because you are nuts.
Look, I have no man-crush on Samardzija. I'm happy with them trading Jeff if they decide that their timetable is off by 1-2 years, and that more player development needs to take place before a core of MLB guys is in place. I'm fine with that. I'm more concerned with building a long-term juggernaut than getting to the playoffs by year X.
What I'm not fine with is the fact that if the org signals that free speech won't be tolerated in their TOR starters, they are signaling to every interested team that the Cubs are trading from a position of weakness. That is NOT the bargaining position a team wants to be in when dealing a person who should, in a neutral setting, yield a number of highly rated prospects and/or MLB players.

When these players sing contracts, there is clauses that can terminate a contract if that player bad mouths ownership, coaches or other players......also if they kill people....do dangerous life threatening acts....etc.........Samardzija is wrong....he is a player....Jed is the GM.....each one has their roles to do....Jeff is to throw strikes.....Jed is to build a better team.....Jeff is not the person to tell Jed or Theo how to do their job.........that is Ricketts job to question Jed's or Theo's moves.......So Jeff needs to keep his mouth shut and do his job...................if the Cubs come to a point to speed up this building process faster, then they can send Jeff's ass off to get three or four top prospects in return.......Jeff is 28.....if the Cubs ready to contend in five years from now, Jeff will be 33........and most likely, Jeff will be gone by then....by trade or by walking off this team through free agency.

He's right, and almost everyone would agree. This team will not win more games this year as a result of the trade (and he's speaking about this year, as the rest of his comments in the paragraph support).

That statement is not bashing ownership, coaches, or other players. The biggest problem anyone should have with his comment is that it ignores the point that making a trade like this improves the team in a number of ways over the next few years.

And, since no one outside of JS, his family, his agent, and Cubs mgmt. knows what's in his contract, for you to say his statement violates that document only highlights how utterly nuts you are.

I could see you are not uptodate when it comes to players contracts....all contracts dealing with all athletes, MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL, have certain clauses in their contract, especially one that deals with bad mouthing the team that is paying your salary, etc........

Now you might know this FACT about contracts, but any other person on this blog will back up my statement dealing with this matter.

Contracts often have those type of clauses, but it's a moot point. They're not going to take any action against Samardzija. It's not even worth discussing. What he said is not really a big issue except for those who want to create stories. Sounds like fodder for talk radio, not for a site like this.

I'm with you John... I'm not yet 100% convinced of Shark's TOR talent, but I'm not ready to run him out of town. I'd rather have his will to win on the team than that of Soriano who when offered the chance to go to SanFran and a potential (and eventual) WS Ring turned it down.

Similarly as I recall GIDP Lee and Ramirez liked the Friendly Confines more than winning confines when given the option.

For too long we have had players who wanted to remain a Cub because they liked Chicago rather than were out and out winners. Good on you Shark.

I actually thought this Cubstalk guy was a clown and zoomed past his posts, but I actually enjoy when someone points out factual info, which he does. Also, its funny how people trash his posts but he backs it up and fires back at people to which they generally cannot argue his points.

So to all that offer logical points and back them up with thought out commentary and/or stats (John, Caldwell, Gallo and the aforementioned Cubstalk).

Ok... this post is so ridiculous. Um, Buzz, you are OBVIOUSLY CubsTalk. Only an idiot wouldn't see that.

That is sad. Making up aliases to back yourself up is a sure sign that you are a TROLL.

By the way, you did the same thing the other day with a different alias but I wasn't 100% sure at that time. This post is so obvious that it's kind of funny. Which means that you probably have multiple aliases.

So Buzz or Cubstalk or whatever your name is Mr. Troll, please get a life and stop ruining this blog.

I am new here. (As I am reminded every time I try to post and have to wait for admin to approve). I use to frequent another Cubs blog as my go to Cubs source.

Besides the contributing writers, the Cubs Den is especially good because of all the knowledgeable posters & the generally high level of discourse in the comments section.

Unfortunately, you are single-handedly ruining this place. Seriously, and that's coming from someone who doesn't post that much, & who observed for a while before commenting my first time.

You seem to post any ridiculous idea that pops into your head at the time.

Administrative approval is a glitch in our system, by the way, Ghost Dawg. Nobody is actually reviewing/checking your comments. I know because I'm the administrator ;) It even says that when I comment!

I don't think people realize the hundreds upon hundreds of questions these guys get asked throughout a year. Is a guy going to say something that could be taken the wrong way, or flat out say the wrong thing a few times a year. Yes. Have you ever watched a post game press conference? Those reporters ask some absolutely horrendous questions, and these guys have to put up with it day after day. Watch Greg Popovich in a press conference, and these guys look like saints the way they answer questions.

He pitched really well today. Showed good velo, good stuff, solid command...almost makes me sad to see him go! But I do understand why they're doing it. I just hope they get something worthwhile in return.

You could definitely tell he was left in there for the 8th inning as a bit of an audition to truly show that he is healthy, and can get his pitch count up there if needed. I agree w you when you say one start won't make or break his trade value since teams know what he can do, but showing the ability to go 8 while maintaining sustained velo and throwing more pitches then he has all season certainly shouldn't hurt the FO's cause. Also have to love that he was able to get out of that mini jam in the 8th after allowing that lead off walk.

If the return isn't guys who are least AA or higher (or the return isn't traded for some more immediate help in a year) I'm going to be annoyed. Garza is looking good and healthy, only 28 (or am I off?), and exactly the type of pitcher the Cubs should be looking for. We're not talking Feldman here. It's going to be very hard to find an available Matt Garza within the next few years.

Wow! What a game by Garza! He's the real deal. One of Hendry's best trades. What a stud. He and Shark should without question be considered as part of the "core" in this rebuild. Keep him! Sign him! Show him the money! He should be traded if and only if we get the other teams top two prospects.

And I have no issue whatsoever with Sharks comments. He's a competitor and wants to win NOW! And guess what, so do I.

I really thinking this teamis closer than most think. Yes, I'm impatient but I'd really like to see the FO accelorate the plan and move our top prospects through the system at a faster pace. Let's go gosh darn it!

Right now it looks like it would have been a good deal had the Cubs had a better team around him. Archer still struggling with command and I think he's giong to be a reliever. Hak Ju unfortunately got hurt but I think even before that he was an average MLB SS. The other guys aren't going to be significant contributors. Could have been worse -- but I still didn't like the timing of the deal.

I don't see how anyone (guess who) can honestly say that Jeff badmouthed the FO. What he expressed was disappointment in losing a teammate that he went to war with, day in and day out. JS goes out there competing every outing and so did Feldman. People who compete do it for today, not to set a stage for the future. Jeff's future, in his mind, is October 2013. Would we want any other attitude?